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Darvish, Beltre returning to All-Star Game

Adrian Beltre and Yu Darvish were selected to represent the Texas Rangers in the 2014 All-Star Game

By T.R. Sullivan
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MLB.com |

NEW YORK -- Yu Darvish is going back to the All-Star Game for the third straight year. This time, he might even get into the game.

Darvish and third baseman Adrian Beltre were selected to represent the Rangers in the 2014 All-Star Game, on July 15 at Target Field. Both were selected via the players' vote. Darvish was one of five starting pitchers chosen, and Beltre was selected as the reserve third baseman.

Beltre will be going for the fourth time in five years.

"It's great. … Maybe we can fly together and he can teach me some Japanese," Beltre said. "It's always an honor to be selected to represent the American League in the All-Star Game. It never gets old."

Darvish was selected in 2012 and '13, but he did not pitch. He will be well rested for this year's event after his pitching schedule was altered last week, and he could be a strong candidate to start the game for the AL.

Darvish, Seattle's Felix Hernandez and New York's Masahiro Tanaka seem to be the three strongest candidates for that role, but Tanaka is scheduled to pitch for the Yankees on Sunday, so that would likely eliminate him from contention.

Darvish's final start before the All-Star break is Wednesday, and Hernandez's is Thursday, so both would be well rested if chosen by Red Sox manager John Farrell.

"That's very unlikely, because there are so many others who have pitched well," Darvish said. "But if I'm selected, I'll go out [to the mound] and try to sneak out of [the inning] before anybody notices."

Darvish is the second Rangers pitcher to be named to three All-Star teams, following Kenny Rogers, who was selected in 1995, 2004 and '05. He is also the fourth Major League pitcher to be named to the All-Star team in each of his first three seasons, joining Tom Seaver, Don Newcombe and Dwight Gooden.

"I'm very honored and excited to be playing in the All-Star Game," Darvish said. "I'm kind of surprised. There are so many great pitchers, and I haven't had very many outings that I'm satisfied with. I think people still have the image of me from last year."

Beltre's first All-Star appearance was as a member of the Red Sox in 2010, and he represented the Rangers in 2011 and '12. He has been a bright spot for the injury-depleted Rangers, hitting .333 with 11 home runs and 46 RBIs in 74 games.

"It's not tough," Beltre said. "I get paid for that. It's obvious we were hoping it would be a different case than what we have been through, but my mind-set is to be ready for every ballgame. It doesn't matter who is next to me or who is not here. I have to do my job."

Yu Darvish, PitcherPrior ASGs: 2012-13ASG W-L: 1-1ASG stats: Has not pitchedHow he made 2014 AL team: Player selectionWhy he's an All-Star: Darvish has had to carry a rotation that has been clobbered by injuries, but he is a good candidate to be the AL's starting pitcher. He is 8-4 with a 2.63 ERA and 134 strikeouts in 16 starts.DYK?: Darvish did not pitch in 2012 as the AL Final Vote winner because manager Ron Washington designated him as his final pitcher to be used in extra innings. He missed last year because he had a strained muscle in the back of his right shoulder.Quotable: "I really think he has thrown the ball well," Washington said. "He looks more relaxed, and he has a good grasp of what he has to do. He knows the league a lot better, but the main thing for me is that he is commanding his fastball a lot better."

Adrian BeltrePrior ASGs: 2010-12ASG W-L: 0-3ASG stats: 1-for-5, 0 HR, 0 RBIs, 0 SBHow he made 2014 AL team: Player selectionWhy he's an All-Star: On a team that has been ravaged by injuries, Beltre has been as good as ever in his 17th Major League season. His home runs and RBIs are slightly down, but he has been in the AL top 10 in hitting, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and batting with runners in scoring position.DYK?: Beltre is one five players in Major League history with at least 100 home runs with three teams. He is also one of six third basemen with at least 2,500 hits in his career.Quotable: "He gets better as the year goes on," Washington said. "That's what Adrian does, and he has always been that way. This has been his finest year. He has been the one constant through all this adversity. You've got to be tough to grind it out. That's why he is known around the game as a true professional. Through it all he still performs. He deserves to be an All-Star."

Immediately following the announcement of the AL and National League All-Star rosters on Sunday, fans began voting to select the final player for each league's 34-man roster via the 2014 All-Star Game MLB.com Final Vote Sponsored by Experian. Fans can cast their votes from a list of five players from each league until the winners are announced after the voting concludes on Thursday at 3 p.m. CT.

The final phase of All-Star Game voting will again have fans help choose the Ted Williams All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet. During the Midsummer Classic, fans will vote exclusively online at MLB.com and via Twitter in the 2014 All-Star Game MLB.com MVP Vote Sponsored by Pepsi, and their collective voice will represent 20 percent of the overall vote that determines the recipient of the Arch Ward Trophy.

MLB.TV Premium subscribers, for the first time, will be able to live stream the All-Star Game via MLB.TV through FOX's participating video providers. Access will be available across more than 400 platforms that support MLB.TV, including the award-winning MLB.com At Bat app. MLB.com will provide extensive online coverage of the All-Star Week festivities.

The 85th All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS, and worldwide by partners in more than 200 countries via MLB International's independent feed. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network and SiriusXM will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information, please visit allstargame.com.